The Influence of Instagram on Modern Travel: Accessibility, Aspirations, and Environmental Impact

This project explores how Instagram and travel influencers have changed the way people travel. Their content has made travel feel more accessible, inspiring, and achievable for a wider audience. In many ways, they’ve helped “democratise” travel—making it something that more people aspire to and feel they can take part in.

What the Project Looks At:
The project examines how influencer culture shapes travel choices. As followers try to copy the glamorous lifestyles they see online—through destinations, photography styles, and even business models—travel becomes more about image and social media appeal. While these trends fuel interest in travel, they also raise concerns.

Why It Matters:
This project highlights the downside of this growing trend. The same images and posts that inspire wanderlust also contribute to overtourism and put pressure on fragile environments. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for developing more responsible and sustainable tourism practices in the age of social media.

Project Title: How Instagram is Changing the Way We Travel

What This Project Is About:
This project examines how Instagram and travel influencers are changing how people think about and experience travel. Thanks to social media, going on exciting trips feels more possible and popular than ever before. People are inspired by what they see online and want to visit the same places or live similar lifestyles.

What We’re Exploring:
We’re looking at how influencers affect where people choose to go, how they take photos, and even how they try to turn travel into a job or business. But while this can make travel feel fun and exciting, it can also create problems—like making some places too crowded or putting pressure on the environment.

Why It Matters:
It’s important to understand this trend's good and bad sides. If we know how social media is shaping travel, we can find better ways to protect popular destinations and make travel more sustainable for the future.

The project found that Instagram has a powerful impact on how people travel, often leading to repetitive and copycat behaviors. For example, the Instagram account Insta-repeat shows hundreds of nearly identical travel photos—like shots of tulip fields, temples, or sunsets—taken by different people, in different places, at different times. These photos all look the same, suggesting that many travelers treat destinations like photo backdrops rather than unique places with meaning or value.

This obsession with getting the “perfect shot” has caused real-world damage. In several cases, natural areas like coral reefs in Thailand, tulip fields in the Netherlands, and flower farms in Canada and California have been harmed by visitors. Even museums have had to make changes by creating designated “selfie spots” to stop people from breaking rules just to get a better photo.

But the project also found a more positive side. Travel influencers can help improve transparency in tourism. As more people share honest reviews and real experiences online, it becomes harder for travel companies to make false claims—especially about being eco-friendly (also known as “greenwashing”). Influencers can shine a light on what’s really happening at a destination, helping other travelers make better choices and encouraging businesses to be more honest and responsible.

In short, while Instagram can lead to over-tourism and environmental harm, it also has the potential to make the travel industry more open, honest, and self-aware.

The results of the project became a chapter in a Routledge Book on Sustainable Tourism